Apparatus for heating and cooling



Filed Dec.

J. W. F. MACDONALD APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND COOLING May 22, 19 23.

Patented May 22, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. F. MACDONALD, OF BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THEMERRILL PROCESS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND COOLING.

Application filed December 5, 1918. Serial No. 265,386.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. F. Mao- DONALD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Brighton, in the county of Suffolk'and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus forHeating and Cooling, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

. This invention relates to an improved apparatus for treatin materialofany kind by heating and cooling the same without removal of saidmaterial from the container in which the first of said steps, eitherheatin or cooling, has been accomplished.

n the treatment of. sodium and other chemicals in the manufacture ofexplosives and in the chemical treatment of many other materials it isoften desirable, in order to facilitate their handling and removal fromthe container, in which said materials are treated by heat, to reducethe temper-- ature of the material approximately to atmospherictemperature. In the treatment of some chemicals by heat it is necessaryto reduce the temperature of the product before the removal of saidproduct from said container or of permitting such product to be actedupon by the atmosphere. In other instances it is a matter of convenienceand conservation of the health of operators who are required to enterthe container in which the material has been treated at a hightemperature, to first reduce the temperature of such productapproximately to atmospheric temperature.

In the treatment of some materials, as where it is necessary ordesirable to subject material to a considerable range of graduallyincreasin temperatures, starting with a comparative y low temperature,the initial cooling operation followed by the heating operation iscontemplated by this invention.

The object of this invention is to carry out the above described processwhich object is facilitated by the improved apparatus to be hereinafterdescribed.

The invention consists in the process oftreating material to alternateapproximately definite temperatures.

The invention also. consists in the improved apparatus hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Figure 1, represents the improved apparatus in front elevation.

Figure 2, represents a front view of a still illustrating a modifiedconstruction of container adapted for use with this apparatus, the Wallof the still partially broken away to show portions of the conduit coiltherein.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a valve operable alternatively todirect heated or cooled li uid into the container.

. Similar c aracters of reference designate corresponding partsthroughout.

As shown in the drawings, 5 indicates a container which may be a kettleopen at the to or may be a still or closed chamber depen ing upon thenature of the material to be treated or upon the specific process to becarried out. Within the container 5 is located and supported in anyknown manner the lining 6 which, in the structure shown, is spaced fromthe wall of said c0n tainer to provide a jacket or compartment adaptedto receive liquid from the supply pipes 7, 7 and to deliver said liquidto the outlet pipes 8, 8. As a supplemental liquid circulating means thecoil 9 has, in some cases, been located andsupported in said coiitainer5, said coil 9 having the inlet pigi e 10 and the outlet pipe 11.

he conduit through which heating liquid is circulated to and from thecontainer 5 comprises the supply conduit arm 12 and the return conduitarm 13 connected to the coil 14 of furnace 15' of any well knownconstruction and operation adapted to supply heat to be absorbed byliquid in its passage through said coil 14. Conduit arm 12 communicatesthrough the casing 16, of any known three-way valve, with the T-pi econnection 17 which is connected by t e valve casing 18 with the supplypipes, 7.

Connection 17 also communicates with pipe 19 which is connectedwith theinletpipe 10 of coil 9. 1

Outlet or return pi es 8, 8 have the extension pipes 20, 20 w 'ich areconnected b the pipe 21 which communicates throng valve chamber 22, Tpipe connection '23, and the casing 24, of any ordinary threeway valve,with the return conduit arm 13. Coil outlet pipe 11 is also connectedwith the T pipe connection 23 and said pipe 11 has the valve 25.

Return conduit arm 13 has the casing 26 of any ordinary pump adapted tocirculate viscous liquid through said conduit. The conduit arm 13 at thepressure side of said pump 26 is connected by the by-pass pipe 27,having valve 28 with said conduit arm 13 at the suction side of saidpump and the former portion of said conduit 13 has the pipe 29 which isconnected with the by-pass pipe 27 and has the pressure relief valve 30of any ordinary construction. This valve 30 may operate to relieve unduepressure in either the by-pass pipe 27 or the conduit arm 13. At timeswhen the liquid in the conduit is unduly viscous or when it isdesirable, valve 28 may be opened 'and the liquid in the conduit maypass from the pressure side of the pump 26 through pipe 27 back to thesuction side of said pump.

At the'suction side of pump' 26 conduit arm 13 has the valves 31 and 32between which the expansion pipe 33, having the tank 34,- is connectedwith conduit arm 13 in order to maintain a column of the li uid understatic pressure to compensate for uctuations of pressure in conduit arm13 and to supply additional liquid when necessary. The system ofconduits, pipes and their accessories above described may be consideredthe heating side or element of the system as the viscous liquid. usuallyhaving a high sparking or flash point, preferably a hydrocarbon having ahigh carbonization point, with which said system of pipes is filled isintended to becirculated through the coil 14 of furnace 15 to absorbheat generated in said furnace and to transport said heat to the jacketof container 5 and to coil 9 thereof in order to heat the contents ofsaid container; After the completion of such treatment of the contentsof container 5 by heat, it is often desirable and sometimes necessary toreduce the temperature of such contents as quickly as possible to apredetermined degree. This is accomplished by apparatus which I will nowdescribe.

Connected respectively with the valve casings 16 and 24 are the supplyconduit arm 35 and the return conduit arm 36 which are connected by theshort circuit pipe 37 having the valve 38. Conduit arm 35 has the pumpchamber 39 of any ordinary pump adapted to circulate liquid therethroughand said conduit arm 35 is connected around said pump chamber 39 by theby-pass pipe 40 having the automatic relief valve 41 of any knownconstruction. The suction side of pump chamber 39 is connected with theriser pipe 42 which is adapted to receive liquid from the comparativelylarge storage tank 43. Conduit arm 36 eictends to the cooling tank 44through which conduit arm 36 extends as the coil 45 terminating in the uwardly extending pipe 46 which ultimate y delivers into the tank 43.

Any usual and well known provision may be made for cooling the liquidpassing through coil 45 and for maintaining said liquid at acomparatively low temperature in the tank 43. The liquid supplied to thesystem which includes conduit arms 35 and 36 may be of any known kind.referably adapted to readily absorb heat w on circulating through thejacket and coil of the receptacle 5 and to give up such heat as quicklyand as fully as practical when said liquid is circulating throughconduit arm 36 and coil 45.

In Fi ure 2 of the drawing is disclosed a modified. construction of thecontainer which, in Figure 2, is shown as a chamber 5 having suitableinlet and'outlets respectively closed by any ordinary closures 47, 48.In this modified construction, whichis the same as container 5 of Fig.l-except that it has no jacket, the coil 9 is similar to coil 9 of thestructure shown in Figure 1 and has the inlet pipe 10 and the outletpipe 11. This modified structure, Figure 2, is adapted for use when,after material has been placed in the container and subjected to a hi htemperature, it is desired to quickly re uce the temperature in theretainer sufliciently to permit an operator to enter the container forthe purpose of assisting in discharging the contents of the container.In this latter case it is not necessary to reduce the temperature of thecontainer below the point at which the operator can work without unduetainer 5 and is therein sub ected to the action of heat conducted fromthe liquid in the container jacket and the coil 9, either or both.Continuous renewal of heated liquid in said jacket and coil is elfectedby the action of pump 26 which operates to force the li uid in theconduit system through thecoi of furnace 15 back through conduit arm 12to said 'acket and coil of the container 5.

A ter the material has thus been subjected to the desired de ree of'heatfor a suitable time the heat of the furnace 15 may be temporarilyreduced and the valves 16 and 24 are operated "to cut out the containerjacket 6 and the coil 9 from the conduit of theheat circulating mediumand to connect said jacket and coil with the conduit arms 35, 36 of thecooling circuit whereby the cooled liquid circulated through said pipestime to increase the viscosity or the concen-- tration of such material,the temperature of the material may then be reduced to. a point at whichadditional material, of any kind, may be supplied to the container witsafety to the operator or without injury to the material primarilytreated, and this process may be repeated if desired.

When the heat transporting liquid is forced out of the jacket 6 and coil9 by the cooling liquid such liquids will to some extent be mixedtogethervin' the conduit and ultimately in tank 43 and for this reasonsaid liquids may be of a similar nature although not necessarily of asimilar viscosity. For instance, an oil of a high viscosity may besupplied to tank 34 and an oil of a low degree of viscosity ma besupplied to the tank 43.

When it is esired to avoid the mixing of the liquid remaining in thejacket 6 or coil 9 after eithera heating or a cooling operation with thecirculatingliquid used in the next succeeding operation, said liquid injacket 6 or coil 9 may be drawn ofl' through the valved drain pipes 7and 9' with which the inlet pipe 7 and the coil 9 respectively areprovided. In this latter case the valve of the air inlet pipe 11' may beopened slightly for a short time.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent.

1. Apparatus for subjecting material to different temperaturescomprising a container for the material having a jacket through whichliquid may be circu ated, two systems of conduits each having a commonconnection to the inlet and the outlet of said jacket, pumps operablerespectively to circulate llquid through the respective conduit systems,a heater for supplylng heat to the liquid in one of said conduitsystems, means for coolin the liquid in the other conduit system anmeans operable selectively to establish communication between either ofsaid conduit systems and said jacket and simultaneously to cut offcommunication of the other system with said jacket whereby in shiftingfrom one circulating system to the other the liquid contained in thejacket will be displaced and circulated with the liquid of the system inwhich communication with the jacket is established. 7

2. Apparatus for subjecting material to different temperaturescomprising a co ntainer having a jacket and an internal conductorthrough which liquid may be circulated, two systems of conduitsconnected with said jacket and conductorby common inlet and outletconnections, pumps operable respectively to circulate liquid through therespective conduit s stems, a heater for supplying heat to the liquid ofone of said conduit systems, -means for cooling the liquid in the otherof said conduit systems and means operable selectively to connect eitherof said conduit systems with said jacket and conductor andsimultaneously to cut out communication with the other conduit system.

3. Apparatus for subjecting material to various temperatures comprisin acontainer having means through WhlCh liquid may be circulated, twosystems of conduits connected with said means and having controllingvalves one of said conduits being continuous and having a liquidcirculating pump and a point of heat su ply, and means to supply liquidto said con uit under static pressure, one arm of the other said conduithaving a liquid circulating pump and a supply stand pipe delivering tosaid pump, a tank for supplying liquid to said pipe, the other arm ofsaid latter conduit having a cooling member and delivering to saidtank..

JOHN W. F. MACDONALD.

